In the commercial processing of photographic film, a large number of order finishing stations are normally employed in a single commercial setting. Each order finishing station has several components and includes a print cutter and print tray for cutting and collecting, respectively, photographic prints from a continuous reel of prints. Also, a film cutter accepts a continuous reel of developed negatives (more commonly known as film in the industry) and cuts the film into strips, usually four frames long. The cut strips of film exiting the film cutter are collected in a film tray, and the strips constituting one order are collected together and placed into one compartment of a small envelope called a wallet. The cut prints constituting one order are placed in a separate compartment of the wallet, which is then placed into a second, larger envelope that has customer identification on it. Using information compiled at the order finishing station as to the number of prints and type of film, the order can be priced and returned to the proper customer.
For a variety of reasons, none of which is directly relevant to the present invention, most order finishing stations utilize a film cutter of left-to-right film feed configuration. Specifically, the developed, or processed, film enters the film cutter from a continuous reel positioned to the left of the film cutter and exits in cut form at the right side of the film cutter (when facing the operating surface of the film cutter). Nonetheless, there are a significant number of order finishing stations in which the film flow is right to left. Both types of film cutters are often present in the same commercial processing laboratory. Additionally, utilizing ergonomic principles it has been discovered that using a film cutter of right-to-left film feed configuration, that is located at a position toward the operator from the print cutter, allows the lengthwise dimension of the order finishing station to be reduced by nearly two feet. This has the effect of allowing more order finishing stations in the same amount of area in commercial processing laboratories.
As a result, there has been a long-felt need for a film cutter that may be operated in either a right-to-left or left-to-right film feed mode using a common set of parts, thereby allowing a single film cutter assembly to be used in both types of existing order finishing stations and in newly designed order finishing stations of diminished length. By providing a single assembly that fits all laboratory configurations, a reduction in the inventory that must be stocked is achieved.